How to Perfect the Skill of Not Thinking while Taking Pictures.

We all know the Lomography rule: Don’t think! I found a way to switch off the brain completely. It’s very easy! All you have to do is drink, drink, drink and drink some more. These are my experiences with shit-faced-photography. Cheers!

I am half Russian, so I really like to drink a lot. And since I’m also half Moldovan I really like to drink until I blackout. In fact I never remember how I get home from parties. All I know is that I keep wandering around for hours before I find my way into my bed. I end up in different parts of Munich without any recollection of how I got there. Sometimes I don’t go to sleep before noon. “What does it have to do with Lomography?”, you might ask. Well, I never go out without one or two of my cameras (Holga and Smena) and I use them on my way home. I strongly recommend it! Try out the half-conscious photography the next time you get shit-faced!

My favorite Lomography rule is: Don’t think! And that’s exactly what happens on my drunk odysseys. I perfected the skill of not thinking and even topped it by not remembering! Having the brain switched out, the intuition can fully take over. No concern of what others might think when you lay down on the ground for a certain angle, no fear of standing in the middle of the road to capture the sunrise, no guilty conscience when photographing a homeless guy playing the harmonica. Complete freedom from the self-made prison in our heads! And then you wait for the photographs not knowing what’s on them. “I was there?” and “Oh wow! What the hell was I doing?” It’s like opening a surprise gift from yourself.

Of course most pics will be blurry and not very interesting, but some will be amazing. The unplanned magic of an alcohol-fumed journey into the unknown!

The downside is the fact that it’s very easy to loose things when being in a state of complete freedom of mind. I keep losing my phones and keys (I even stopped taking them with me) but somehow I never lost any of my cameras (knock on wood). Or when I did, I miraculously found it again straight away. I’m not religious, but I think there’s a photography GOD, who is making sure I don’t loose my precious shots. Still it’s a risk, but being young and adventurous you can can give it a shot and see what happens.

Just remember: drink a lot! If you can still think at the end of the night, drink some more. If you cannot think anymore drink even more. And THEN go home with your trusty camera around your neck.

Now have fun but please don’t hold me responsible if you lose your camera!

Damn, I don't know why I never thought of writing this up as a tipster - I spent all last winter doing this, pretty much! In my personal experience, Fisheyes and Actionsampler Flashes seem to work best, because it's literally point-and-shoot, no thinking, and the flash means the shot almost always comes out okay.

I only ever tried to use an SLR once while blind drunk. It was a bit of a failure, to be honest!

great article, great results ! i don't drink, but have something greener to help me not think ;) so i can totally relate to this ! the part i enjoy the most, is to have completely forgotten that i took shots, and discover them on the roll ! own personnal present =)

oh my god, i think i'm a bad influence on the young people. this tip was meant for lost causes like myself. people with the experience in getting fucked-up. so please take it easy when u start. u need to learn where your limits are. i started early because they're not really strickt about drinking age in russia and in germany (where i live) u can drink beer and wine from the age of 16. so i had the last 10 years to master the art of getting off my tits.

Never forget the consequences!! Hangover and alcoholic blackout, like waking up somewhere strange and having to think, "I'm going to throwup! Where is here? Who is the person in bed with me, who just threw up on me, and I just threw up on? Where is my clothing? Why is the bed pavement? Why is there a crowd? Why is that policeman looking at us so funny? Etc." Sometimes creativity can be expensive.

great tip and for those of you not old enough to drink be like me and just act weirdnand wasted try a couple of strong esspresso coffees and some cheap ciggarettes. Write some poetry while you're at it.

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